Notice of intention to designate

327 (333) King Street West
Take notice that Toronto City Council intends to designate the lands and buildings known municipally as 327 (333) King Street West (Gardner Boyd Buildings) under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Description
The property at 327 King Street West (the westernmost portion of the property with an entrance address of 333 King Street West) is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value, and meets the provincial criteria for municipal designation under the categories of design and contextual values. Located on the south side of King Street West in the block west of John Street, the Gardner Boyd Buildings (1885) were constructed as a pair of three-storey commercial buildings. Following a fire, the buildings were reduced to two stories and are now combined under a single street address. The property was listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2009.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The Gardner Boyd Buildings at 327 (333) King Street West have design significance as representative examples of late 19th century buildings that display architectural features derived from the Italianate and Renaissance Revival designs popular for commercial edifices during this era. The buildings are distinguished by red brick cladding with decorative stonework and classical detailing. The Gardner Boyd Buildings were originally three stories in height before a fire in the mid-20th century. While the scale of the structures has been reduced with the removal of the third stories, by retaining their setback and late 19th century appearance, the Gardner Boyd Buildings complement their neighbours in the block between John Street and Blue Jays Way.

Contextually, the surviving two stories of the Gardner Boyd Buildings support the character and continuous scale and rhythm of the grouping of mid-19th century properties on the south side of King Street West, west of John Street.

The property at 327 (333) King Street West is historically linked to the King-Spadina neighbourhood as it evolved from its origins as an institutional and residential enclave to a commercial and industrial sector in the late 19th century. Following the relocation of the first Toronto General Hospital, the original Upper Canada College and the Provincial Legislature from the district, which had attracted upscale housing, in the late 1800s King Street West reverted to commercial uses, particularly multi-storey buildings with residential units above the storefronts. The block on King Street West, west of John Street, including the Gardner Boyd Buildings, is of special interest for its collection of surviving commercial buildings and is known locally as "Restaurant Row" with its proximity to the theatres in the city's Entertainment District.

Heritage Attributes
The heritage attributes are:

• The two-storey commercial building
• The scale, form and massing
• The materials, with red brick cladding and brick and stone detailing
• The principal (north) two-bay façades under flat rooflines with stone cornices (with the removal of the third storey and original flat roofline)
• The first-floor storefronts, which have been remodelled as part of the evolution of the buildings, where the main entrance is currently found in the right (west) bay
• The fenestration in the second storey, where the segmental-arched window openings with brick flat arches are organized by brick piers with stone capitals
• The decorative detailing, with pattern brickwork beneath the cornice line.

Notice of an objection to the proposed designation may be served on the City Clerk, Attention: Rosalind Dyers, Administrator, Toronto and East York Community Council, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, 2nd Floor, West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2, within thirty days of January 9, 2012, which is February 8, 2012. The notice must set out the reason(s) for the objection, and all relevant facts.

Dated at Toronto this 9th day of January, 2012.

Ulli S. Watkiss
City Clerk